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'Sleepy Hollow' home is hot spot for Halloween tourism

Creative director Michael Natiello takes us on a tour of the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., featuring over 5,000 jack-o'-lanterns.
Seth Harrison, The (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News

The home of Sleepy Hollow gets an annual tourism bump thanks to fall foliage, blazing pumpkins and a certain headless horseman.

Marlaina Bertolacci, co-owner of Main Street Sweets in Tarrytown, N.Y., at the counter of her specialty ice cream shop on Oct. 15, 2013. Bertolacci said tourists and visitors for fall foliage and Halloween events held by Historic Hudson Valley increase the demand for her store’s ice cream in October.(Photo: Gannett/The (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News)

"It's easily accessible from Manhattan and we do the (New Jersey) shore most of the time, so this is a change for us," said Hatter, 60, a foundation administrator, whose local tourism included stops at Washington Irving's Sunnyside and Kykuit.

Colleen Venturi figures she spent a similar amount on tickets for herself, her husband and son to attend the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze in Croton-on-Hudson, tour Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and spend a night at a nearby hotel, with a few meals added to the tab. "We had a great time walking around seeing the ghosts and, of course, the dreaded Headless Horseman," says Venturi, who lives in Staten Island.

The Lower Hudson Valley attracts tourists year-round, but during October it's scary how many dollars are pumped into the local economy. Excursions like Hatter's and Montello's as well as the crowds attending local Halloween spectacles deliver a multimillion-dollar bonanza that benefits hotels, restaurants and retail businesses.

"Last year alone, Rockland brought in $31 million more in tourism dollars, so some of that has to be attributed to (the Nyack Halloween Parade)," said C.J. Miller, Rockland County's tourism director.

Spending by locals and out-of-towners drawn to events like the parade, or Haunting on the Hill in Patterson, N.Y., delivers a welcome boost to surrounding businesses. More than half of the Blaze's 80,000-plus visitors last year either dined out locally, shopped in a nearby store, stayed overnight in a hotel or visited another museum or attraction as part of their Blaze visit, a visitor survey by Historic Hudson Valley shows.

As interest has surged, the Blaze, originally an eight-night event, has grown to 25 nights to accommodate more guests, and so far this month it's on track to surpass 100,000 visitors. Scared by the Sound moved from Playland Amusement Park in Rye to Cortlandt, where it offers an expanded 13,000 square feet of chills including a new Zombie Zone. Horseman's Hollow at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow has expanded to 13 nights in its third year.

Rob Schweitzer, Historic Hudson Valley's marketing director, said Blaze visitors on average spent about $92 off-site on dining, shopping and lodging. The Umami Cafe in Croton is one venue that felt the Blaze's warmth.

On Blaze nights there can be a wait for tables at Umami Cafe, which doesn't take reservations.

"For the last five years, it's the biggest month of my year," said owner Craig Purdy, 61, who in October shortens his menu to accommodate travelers in a rush to make their timed entrance into the Blaze. The nearby Tavern at Croton Landing asks Blaze patrons for their entrance times and makes menu suggestions to ensure tourists with tight schedules get out fast.

"A lot of people travel from very far away. We do hope that the new people come back," sous chef Dave Tuttle said.

Visitors also need lodging, which makes October one of the busiest times for local hotels. The Castle Hotel and Spa in Tarrytown already had sold out its 31 guest rooms for nine nights this month as of Oct. 2.

"We typically are almost at full capacity in September and October due to the beauty of the Hudson Valley at that time of the year," said Brittney Baeriswil, a public relations assistant for the hotel, which sold out its 50 Blaze tickets to guests in September, requiring a reorder. "We've been seeing a large increase (due to) the new show Sleepy Hollow on Fox."

The fall months represented 30 percent of Westchester's estimated hotel room sales in 2012, said Natasha Caputo, the county's director of tourism and film. There were 1.6 million hotel room sales in Westchester in 2012.

Tourism spending in 2012 rose to about $400 million in Rockland and $1.68 billion in Westchester but fell slightly in Putnam to $52.6 million, according to a state report by Oxford Economics.

There is also an October employment boost. Schweitzer said Historic Hudson Valley hires 115 temporary workers as well as more than 60 independent contractors and vendors.

Marlaina Bertolacci, co-owner of Main Street Sweets in Tarrytown, said the fall promotions and events are delivering crowds to her downtown, which is decorated with scarecrows.

"Weekends it's families with older children going to the scary events," said Bertolacci, whose shop even has a seasonal Sleepy Hollow flavor made with Halloween Oreos, a recipe she's thinking of modifying because of the Sleepy Hollow show. "We always had a Sleepy Hollow flavor, and just this year everybody wants to know what it is. People are looking for it to be more intense."

The Nyack Chamber of Commerce's 26th annual Halloween parade Saturday isn't just about a one-day cash infusion to businesses in the village's downtown, said Meg Mayo, the chamber's marketing coordinator.

"We feel the biggest benefit — in terms of finances for the village and impact on our merchants — is long term and showing people what a nice place Nyack is, and they come back," Mayo said.